Chapter 289 - 181: A People of War

Chapter 289: Chapter 181: A People of War

The Owl Race was a most peculiar race.

There are Ten Thousand Races in this world. Many of them survive by consuming certain things, much like the Dream Race, which feeds on dreams.

The Owl Race was no exception, yet they were different from other races, for they survived by instigating war.

The grander the war and the more devastating the casualties, the stronger the Owl Race’s Power became.

In fact, during Ancient Times, the Owl Race was not powerful. They could even be considered one of the weaker races.

But because the war among the Ten Thousand Races dragged on for so long and was so brutal, the Owl Race seized the opportunity to rise to prominence, becoming a powerful race.

This strength carried on. Even in the era dominated by the Human Race, the Owl Race still retained a considerable portion of their Power.

Moreover, before the Chang’an Daoist shook the world with his sword, the times were exceptionally chaotic. People died every day, Immortals and mortals mingled, and wars were frequent. And behind nearly every major conflict, the shadow of the Owl Race could be found stirring up trouble.

The chaotic world provided the perfect conditions for the Owl Race to thrive.

There weren’t many records of the Owl Race in the Cultivation Realm. The few historical texts that survived the turmoil from four hundred years ago offered only a brief mention.

Lu Changyuan, however, knew a bit more.

The Owl Race was a race that reveled in war. Their sustenance wasn’t war itself, but a certain outcome it produced.

Not even Lu Changyuan was entirely clear on what that outcome was, because it didn’t matter.

’Just kill them all. No need to investigate too closely.’

If he hadn’t encountered the Owl Race’s methods today, Lu Changyuan truly couldn’t have been bothered to recall anything about them.

"Wars are frequent in the Mortal World."

Lu Changyuan recalled something he had heard not long ago at the Qingcao Sword Sect.

This year, wars of all sizes had broken out constantly in the Mortal World. It was as if every Dynasty had chosen this exact moment to erupt into all-out conflict.

Some people had indeed found it strange. The Qingcao Sword Sect, for example, had long since sent disciples and Elders to investigate.

But they couldn’t find anything.

Lu Changyuan found that understandable.

The Owl Race had been extinct for nearly a thousand years. To the Cultivators of today, their methods were indeed a bit beyond their scope.

’But there should be someone in this world who understands the Owl Race’s methods.’

’I did teach Leng Moyuan back in the day... Oh, right. The Daoist Sect Master isn’t on Celestial Mountain. And knowing my disciple, she probably doesn’t pay much attention to the Mortal World anyway. Most of her time is spent watching Desire Demons and other Demons.’

Lu Changyuan pulled his thoughts back and looked toward the Imperial Palace of Luoyang.

He was already certain that an Owl was causing trouble, and it was an Owl Race member of at least the Sixth Realm.

Back then, he had slaughtered every last member of the Owl Race—one Yao Guang, four in the Sixth Realm, thirty in the Fifth Realm, and all the rest. ’So where did this one come from?’

The Imperial Palace was eerily silent at night. A wind blew past, whistling through the empty palace walls and stirring up wave after wave of low, whimpering sounds.

A single Palace Lantern happened to pierce the darkness from a distance.

It was a little Palace Maid, nearly swallowed by the night, with only the point of light in her hand shining with exceptional brightness.

Lu Changyuan saw her.

And naturally, she saw Lu Changyuan.

The Imperial Palace was enormous, and Lu Changyuan wasn’t familiar with the one in Luoyang. He needed to find a local to ask for directions.

Lu Changyuan beckoned to the Palace Maid.

"Who are you?!"

The Palace Maid shuddered violently, nearly dropping the Palace Lantern in her hand. Her eyes flew wide with shock, and a short gasp caught in her throat as a scream threatened to tear loose.

Lu Changyuan took a step forward, his hand swiftly and firmly covering her mouth. All sound was muffled.

"Mmph..." The Palace Maid’s body was initially taut as a bowstring. She struggled for a moment but soon relaxed—perhaps sensing no further malice from the hand covering her mouth, or perhaps because she got a clear look at Lu Changyuan’s handsome face and let her guard down.

A moment later, she pointed to her own mouth, signaling that she wouldn’t scream.

Only then did Lu Changyuan slowly remove his hand.

The instant he let go, the Palace Maid quickly stepped back, lifted her face to glare at him, and said in a hushed voice, "You have some nerve, you thief! Do you know what the crime is for trespassing in the Imperial Palace? It’s a death sentence, you know!"

Lu Changyuan folded his arms, looked at her, and actually smiled. "It’s fine. If you don’t tell anyone, then no one will know I trespassed in the Imperial Palace."

Hearing this, the Palace Maid scoffed with a "Tch," but her shoulders relaxed. She looked down, dusted off the hem of her clothes, and her face took on a calmness that seemed out of place for her age. "Fine, I can’t escape anyway. What do you want? Just say it. As long as you don’t kill me."

’So sensible?’

Lu Changyuan took a closer look at the little Palace Maid. Only then did he realize she looked to be only about ten years old, not even of hairpin-wearing age.

’How old was she when she entered the palace?’

"Are you familiar with the layout of the Imperial Palace?"

The little Palace Maid replied nonchalantly, "Very familiar. The Imperial Palace is my home. I can lead you wherever you want to go."

’Your home?’

’What bold words.’

Seeing Lu Changyuan’s disbelieving expression, the Palace Maid huffed, "Who do you think I am? I’m a princess!"

The corner of Lu Changyuan’s eye twitched.

Looking closely, the Little Princess’s clothes were indeed different from his impression of a Palace Maid. She wore a well-tailored palace gown with a broken-branch peony pattern and a Nine Simurghs Holding Pearls Step Shaking Hairpin in her hair.

Not only that, but her features also bore a slight resemblance to Leng Xuanshuang. ’So she really is a princess.’

Sneaking into the Imperial Palace in the middle of the night to play thief, only to casually grab a princess. ’What kind of luck is this?’

Lu Changyuan had never bothered to learn how many children the Late Emperor of Great Xia had. Since she said she was a princess, then a princess she was.

He couldn’t be bothered to wonder why this princess was wandering around in the middle of the night carrying a Palace Lantern. ’Perhaps she got hungry and came looking for a midnight snack.’